Promises, promises

According to the figures I've seen, community college enrollment this fall did not increase much. But as this article in The Tennessean states, full-time enrollment has increased. Locally, Northeast State Community College saw one of the larger increases.

Three weeks after thousands of Tennessee Promise students arrived on campus for the first time, administrators across the state are getting a clearer picture of how many students actually followed through with the program and how dramatic their impact will be.

Enrollment is up at many of the state's 13 community colleges, and almost all of them have seen sharp gains in the number of students enrolled with a full course load, a requirement of the full-tuition scholarship program.

The 13 community colleges have seen a 6 percent jump in full-time students this year on average, according to a census taken on the 14th day of classes. At a number of schools, that number reaches even higher: Motlow State Community College has had full-time growth of almost 20 percent, to 3,541, while there was a 14 percent jump, to 5,373, at Volunteer State Community College....

While Tennessee Promise is boosting enrollment and excitement at community college campuses, early enrollment numbers suggest that it has siphoned students away from some four-year schools.

Enrollment is down at several state universities at small rates that mirror national trends, but one University of Tennessee campus saw a more significant drop. Early estimates suggest freshman enrollment at UT Martin in West Tennessee is down around 13 percent, according to UT system President Joe DiPietro.